Like all living things, plants carry out the respiration process. Breathing provides both aerobic and anaerobic organisms, energy to feed and develop throughout their lives. Plants, for their part, use the oxygen they absorb from the environment to generate the energy they need to create their own food.
Have you ever wondered, how plants breathe? Do they do it just like other creatures on the planet? Is oxygen the only element plants need to live? In a HOWTO, we give you the answers to these questions and we explain in detail how plants breathe, below.
How and where do plants breathe?
The first thing to understand is that plant respiration is not the same as the respiration of other living species on the planet, for example, such as that of mammals and other animals. The way in which plants take up oxygen has marked differences and specific conditions must be present for the process to take place.
Thus, plants, through respiration, which is not the same as photosynthesis, obtain the essential energy to develop and be able to live. The process happens thanks to the stomata of plants.
To better understand what plant respiration is all about, below we will introduce you to how, where, and when plants breathe.
How plants breathe
As we have already mentioned, plant respiration is a singular process, unique in plants that, as in almost all living beings on the planet, provides essential oxygen to live, but for plants, it also adds vital energy to carry out other cycles such as photosynthesis. Basically, it is about absorbing oxygen from the environment and, making use of its carbohydrate reserves, expelling carbon dioxide along with water vapor.
With the aforementioned, we imply that the respiration of plants is a process contrary to that of photosynthesis. For its part, this cycle entails an additional expense, since when breathing, the plant species perspire and therefore dehydrate. When a plant does not have enough water in its body, it closes its stomata to avoid depleting its reserves and this also prevents photosynthesis from taking place.
Where do plants breathe?
Plants carry out the plant or cellular respiration cycle through the aforementioned stomata. Stomata are simply tiny openings or holes in leaves. In the stems, there is also a cell similar to the stoma, but this is known as lenticels.
These plant segmentations, scattered throughout the green tissue, are responsible for absorbing gases from the environment and also for expelling them, carrying out three different functions: photosynthesis, cellular respiration, and transpiration. In turn, the stomata and lenticels are part of the stomatal apparatus, along with the rest of the epidermis of plant species. It is there that gases such as carbon dioxide and oxygen accumulate.
In this other oneHOWTO article we show you the Parts of a plant.
when do plants breathe
It is known that the photosynthesis process carried out by plants occurs during the day. This is how the plant or cellular respiration cycle is carried out at night. This is the time when plants absorb oxygen to obtain much-needed energy for photosynthesis during the day, which is done by the chlorophyll found in the leaves.
What is photosynthesis in plants?
The chlorophyll function or photosynthesis of plants is the cycle by which plant, aquatic and terrestrial species feed and develop. Basically, this process allows the plant to convert inorganic matter into organic matter through the absorption of solar energy, and carbon dioxide, through the chlorophyll found in the chloroplasts of the leaves. Plants retain light energy and transform it into chemical energy that is stored in adenosine triphosphate (ATP) molecules. After that, the power of ATP causes this chemical energy to be synthesized in carbohydrates.
The complete process of photosynthesis in plants begins as follows:
- It all starts with the absorption of water and minerals by the roots of plants.
- Then, these components travel throughout the organism of plant species, passing through the stem and reaching the leaves.
- Once there, and with the right conditions, these compounds are part of photosynthesis, which traps sunlight through the leaves and, together with carbon dioxide, is transformed into what is called elaborated sap.
- As a final step, vegetables expel oxygen, vital for the rest of living beings and for the respiration cycle of plants.
What do plants need to live?
Plants, like any living being on the planet, need the same basic elements: sunlight, water, oxygen, and soil, but in addition, plant species in particular also need carbon dioxide. Each of these elements is extremely important for plants to grow, develop and live; without any of them, there is a high probability of dying or never developing.
Next, we review some of the elements that plants need to live :
- Sunlight: Just as people need food to create energy, plants also use sunlight to generate their food, that is, the elaborated sap, through photosynthesis.
- Water: is one of the essential elements that plants need to live. Without it, they could not germinate or they would dry up in their development. Water is one of the main components in the cycle of plant respiration and photosynthesis. In these processes, plants expel water vapor.
- The land: also known as a substrate, directly helps the plant to grow. This element provides the nutrients and minerals that any plant species needs to develop; for example, phosphorus, nitrogen, potassium, calcium, iron, zinc, among others…
- Oxygen: Oxygen is essential for plants. Without it, they could not survive for long, since this is one of the main generators of energy in plant species and they obtain it through cellular respiration.
- Carbon dioxide: is one of the direct components that intervene in the process of photosynthesis. This is absorbed from the environment in its gaseous state by plants. This gas, together with sunlight, are the main ingredients for the generation of the elaborated sap, that is, the food of the plants.
Extend the information about plants with this other article on How plants reproduce.
What do plants need to live?
Plants, like any living being on the planet, need the same basic elements: sunlight, water, oxygen, and soil, but in addition, plant species in particular also need carbon dioxide. Each of these elements is extremely important for plants to grow, develop and live; without any of them, there is a high probability of dying or never developing.
Next, we review some of the elements that plants need to live :
- Sunlight: Just as people need food to create energy, plants also use sunlight to generate their food, that is, the elaborated sap, through photosynthesis.
- Water: is one of the essential elements that plants need to live. Without it, they could not germinate or they would dry up in their development. Water is one of the main components in the cycle of plant respiration and photosynthesis. In these processes, plants expel water vapor.
- The land: also known as a substrate, directly helps the plant to grow. This element provides the nutrients and minerals that any plant species needs to develop; for example, phosphorus, nitrogen, potassium, calcium, iron, zinc, among others…
- Oxygen: Oxygen is essential for plants. Without it, they could not survive for long, since this is one of the main generators of energy in plant species and they obtain it through cellular respiration.
- Carbon dioxide: is one of the direct components that intervene in the process of photosynthesis. This is absorbed from the environment in its gaseous state by plants. This gas, together with sunlight, are the main ingredients for the generation of the elaborated sap, that is, the food of the plants.
Extend the information about plants with this other article on How plants reproduce.
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